Are ‘not hot to visit’ lists accurate and fair?

Hot or not? Angkor Wat. (angkorenterprise.gov.kh)

I’ve written before that people have to make up their own minds about whether, for ethical or other reasons, they are prepared to visit certain destinations. 

And I note that some governments have acted responsibly to close off areas to tourists to allow rehabilitation. Maya Bay in Thailand, famous location of the film The Beach, is one such spot. Boracay in the Philippines, is another.

But what about a a travel company issuing a “not hot list” that steers people away from certain sites and countries? 

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Travel’s golden rule: respect the place and the people

In places across the world, there’s a growing movement to ban or limit tourism.

Barcelona

It took on an extreme manifestation in Barcelona, when local residents spray-painted an anti-tourism slogan on a hop-on-hop-off bus outside FC Barcelona’s Nou Camp Stadium, and slashed its tyres.

Continue reading Travel’s golden rule: respect the place and the people

Savour the serendipity

On my first ever solo overseas adventure, I happened to be allocated a seat on a Boeing 747 next to the friend of a friend.

The sky train (BTS) in Bangkok
The sky train (BTS) in Bangkok

We went our own ways in London, but ran into each other in the streets of Bloomsbury just two days later.

In Bangkok one day in June, 2016, I was waiting at the BTS (sky train) station, and when the train pulled up and the doors opened, one of my oldest and dearest friends jumped out at me. Continue reading Savour the serendipity